


Taking Back Gotham

by orphan_account



Series: Batman: Multiverse [10]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Arkham Asylum, Asexual Character, Asexual Relationship, Asexuality, Bisexual Character, Bisexual Male Character, Bisexuality, Blackgate Penitentiary (DCU), Dark Comedy, Dysfunctional Relationships, Friendship/Love, Hope, Hope vs. Despair, Hopeful Ending, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Love, Love Confessions, Love/Hate, M/M, Prison, Unrequited Love, Villains, Villains to Heroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-19 14:44:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20658962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After recovering, Batman begins the long and difficult process of taking back the Earth from Barbatos' control, starting with his city.





	1. 3 Weeks Later

The world was in chaos, Barbatos' invasion has left millions dead. Bryce and Diana's forces have taken almost every major city in, not only Amercia, but the world. Not even Atlantis was save, as Bryce personally saw that that invasion went off without an issue. Diana had taken Prime!Diana, along with Kate, Renee, and every female inmate of Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison to Prime!Diana's Gateway City to ensure its invasion. Barbatos had taken Superman with him to Metropolis. There, he will begin his consumption of Earth Prime, allowing him to the power to conquer the rest of the multiverse.

Gotham was the only place not taken by the Amazons, as the male criminals who were still running free took the city as their own. They, along with The Grim Knight, Saint Batman, and The Batman Who Laughs are now calling the shots, and the Grim Knight now has over hundreds of civilian men, the guards of both Blackgate and Arkham, the inmates of both institutions, and the cops to have his fun with.

* * *

"Into the warehouse, now!" The GCP officer ordered the family of three.

"You still haven't told us why you're putting people in here," the father protested. "I'm not letting my family in there until we know why!"

"It's a safe haven," the officer explained. "The entire city has been overrun by maniacs, this is only place the innocent citizens of Gotham will be safe."

"James, stop arguing with the man," the mother scolded, holding her infant daughter close. "If this is a safe place, then we should have no issue."

"Your choice," the officer said, glaring through James, who shivered.

"James, come on!" The mother walked through the open door to the warehouse.

"Alright, I'm coming,"James said, reluctantly following his wife.

When he entered, the officer shut the door behind him, leaving James in pitch dark. The warehouse was crowded, and James could barley move without making contact with another person.

"Jade!" James called out.

"I'm here." James felt a hand touch his shoulder.

"You okay?" James asked. "It's packed in here!"

"Well, it does have most of the civilians of Gotham in this mess," Jade said?

Suddenly and without warning, the lights of the warehouse shot on, and the dozens on people in the building groaned out in frustration as they covered their eyes.

"Good evening," a voice spoke above them.

The crowd looked up, and were shocked to see Batman.

"Batman, what are you doing here?" A man called out.

"Did you set this up?" Asked a woman.

"What do you plan on doing about Barbatos?" Asked another man.

As people randomly shouted out questions, James squinted at Batman, realizing he was wearing a costume he didn't recognize. This bat suit was mostly red, outside of the white chest armor, the gold cross at the center of that, and the grey, metallic claws on his hand.

"Calm down, everyone," Saint Batman ordered. "Let me explain. You see, I'm not Batman, the mane who forced you all in here wasn't a cop, and this isn't a safe haven."

James stared at his wife in shock.

"Oh God..." Jade held their daughter even tighter.

"That said, not everything is a lie," Saint Batman began. "Specifically the part where he said this is the only safe place for the citizens of Gotham, just not in the way you think. Look around you, notice something?" He paused as he watched people look around. "All of you are not white, you're all Mexican, African, Asian,whatever! I am saving this world from you savages, and I plan to start with all of you!" Saint Batman snapped his fingers. "Boys!"

Saint Batman's men began to pour a crimson over the railings, covering the people under the railings and the floor in it.

"Ugh, what is wrong with you?!" A man who was covered shouted.

"Wait...do you smell that?!" Another cried.

One soaked woman smelled herself, and her eyes widened. "Sweet God in Heaven, it's-"

Saint Batman lit a match. "Gasoline?"

Everyone looked towards one another, before they went screaming towards the doors, but they were locked. As the people tried desperately to escape, Saint Batman held the lit match over the railing, and dropped it.

James watched in horror as the match fell.

"James..." Jade said.

James looked at her.

"You were right," Jade said before the match made contacted with gasoline covered floor.

As the screams of horror and fear turned to screams of torture and agony, some Saint Batman's men turned away,or covered their ears. Not all held his hateful beliefs, and just looking to get paid, but still weren't expecting this robe that bad. Despite most of his men looking away, Saint Batman just watched the people burn in cold satisfaction.

* * *

"Another failed experiment." The Batman who Laughs shook his head as he looked over his drawing board. "I really thought the Joker gas and fear toxin mix would be a huge success!" He sighed. "I guess not."

The Batman who Laughs walked over to the cages he had kept all his patients in. He was using the old, abandoned, GCPD building as a place to run horrific and cruel experiments on people, or, in the case of those three children whose remains his Robins were still chewing on, bird food. The Batman who Laughs looked over to the mother's cage, and saw she was dead. In fact, he realized all 23 of his "patients" were dead.

"Wait...how did...?" The Batman who Laughs scratched his head, then he slapped it. "Oh right, I didn't give any of you anything to drink, hehe, my mistake!" He sighed and gripped the bridge of his nose. "Note to self: sustain victims in order to properly torture them. The Batman who Laughs stuck his fingers in his mouth to whistle, causing all three of his robins to stop fighting over the severed leg of one of boys. "Come on, my wards! Let's drop these boring experiments and screw some other place up!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" All three robins related in days voices.

"In fact..." The Batman who Laughs looked over to his chemistry set, and smiled. "In fact, I know exactly which place to screw up!"

* * *

In the bat cave, Bruce stared at the monitors that made up the bat computer. After recovering from the dehydration and starvation, it took him weeks to gain back him strength and muscles. Now ready to get back into the fight, he was now watching the state the world was in.

"As we now enter day 22 of this siege on Earth, humanity sees no chance of survival," Jack Ryder. "People are begging for someone, anyone to help us!"

"Sir, are you sure you're ready?" Alfred walked up to Bruce.

"Yes." Bruce got to his feet, and slipped on his cowl.

Alfred took Bruce's seat, cracked his knuckles, and put on his headset. "Then let us begin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HATE Zack Snyder 😂


	2. The GCPD

Bullock was tied to a chair, being viciously beaten by a group of thugs who were lead by Two-Face. After Barbatos and his forces were summoned, The Batman who Laughs came to the GCPD and freed all of the criminals the bat family had spent all their time trying to capture, leaving Two-Face, Mad Hatter, Killer Croc, Professor Pyg, and Scarface to do with the cops The Grim Knight didn't take at their mercy.

"You messed me up when you took me in, Bullock!" A thug punched him. "That was police brutality, you violated my rights!"

"You lost your rights when you became scum!" Bullock spat on the thug's face.

"Why you-" the thug was going to continue his beating, but Two-Face put a hand on his shoulder.

"Enough son, let everyone else get their turn," Two-Face ordered.

"Alright boss," the thugs said in a disappointed tone. "Can I stay and watch? This guy is a creep!"

Two-Face flipped his coin, and gave the thug a nod. "Sure."

"Thanks boss!" The thug smiled.

"Don't thank me, than fate," Two-Face said. "Alright, who's next?"

"I can do this all day, you freaks!" Bullock shouted. "Come on, who wants to take another swing at me!"

"Oh, must we be so brutal?" Mad Hatter asked, sadly. "Why don't we all just sit down and have a nice cup of tea?"

"I agree with the hatter," Pyg snorted, then let out a bizarre mixture of a laugh and cry. "We mustn't hurt him too badly, or we'll never be able to make him perfect!"

"We aren't trying to make him perfect, you lunatic," Scarface said.

"Mr. Scarface, can't we show a little mercy?" Wesker asked, meekly.

Scarface turned to him, and Wesker gulped, then smacked himself.

"Good boy, dummy," Scarface said, turning back to the rest of the group.

"I want him, next." Killer Croc stood from his quiet spot in the corner of Commissioner Gordon's office.

"Alright Jones, but let's just see what fate has to say," Two-Face said, flipping his coin. It landed on the clean side. "He's all yours."

"Uh...wait a minute!" Bullock's bravado all but evaporated as Croc stalked towards him.

"I can't look!" Mad Hatter closed turned away, closed his eyes, and covered his ears.

"Neither can I!" Pyg cried, squealing in despair. "Why must the chance for beauty always be turned down!"

"Wait, come on!" Bullock begged for mercy.

Just as Croc was ready to tear him to pieces, the lights cut out.

"Ah! I hate the dark!" Mad Hatter cried in fear.

"What did that?!" Two-Face pulled out one of his pistols.

"The bat..." Croc paused to sniff the air.

"He's back?!" Wesker cried.

"My nose doesn't lie," Croc said.

"What do we-" Mad Hatter didn't get to finish his question before he felt a hand cover his mouth.

"Hatter?" Two-Face called into the darkness. "Hatter?! Damn!"

"Get me to my gun, dummy!" Scarface barked, only for Wesker to snatched out from under him, causing Scarface to fall, lifelessly, to the ground.

"I got a light!" Two-Face shouted, and he aimed the light at the Scarface dummy, lying uselessly on the floor.

"Where is he?!" Croc shouted, that's when he felt something clamp down on his neck. "What the...?" He felt the familiar cool metal of his electric collar. "No!"

Batman then tackled Two-Face.

"Hey, get him off!" Two-Face yelled.

"I'll kill you, Bat!" Croc went for a tackle, but Batman threw his Batarang into the collar, causing it to short out for Croc to be painfully electrocuted. "Argh!" He tried to reach for Batman. "I'll...have you...for...supper..." Croc fell to the ground after the last word escaped his lips.

"Damn you!" Two-Face shouted before Batman knocked him out with a punch to his burned face.

"The room is clear, A," Batman said into his earpiece. "You can turn the lights in the GCPD back on."

"Of course, sir," Alfred said, the lights flickering back on not long after he spoke.

"I could've handled that," Bullock said. 

"Really?" Batman crossed his arms.

"Yeah!" Bullock exclaimed, holding up his head.

"Then get out of those cuffs," Batman dared.

"Uh...yeah!" Bullock began to struggled. "Just...let me just...get me out of here!"

"Oh lieutenant, I thought you had this handled?" Batman snarked as he made his around Bullock to break the handcuffs with single chop.

"You're real demeaning, you know that?" Bullock asked, rubbing his wrists. "Where the hell have you been, any who?!"

"I was abducted and held by the Court of Owls, without food, water, or sleep for over three days," Batman began. "When they release me, it took me time to recover from all that."

"Well...you...uh, damn!" Bullock swore.

"What?" Batman asked.

"That's actually a pretty good reason for not being around," Bullock said, bitterly. "Going to be honest, I thought you..."

"Thought I left?" Batman finished. "Not in a million years."

Bullock sighed. "No, I guess you wouldn't."

"Do you know where Gordon is?" Batman asked.

"Nah, The Grim Knight and that laughing freak came bustin in here and shooting the joint up!" Bullock explained. "Any cops who weren't killed, including Gordon, were taken by them." He shook his head. "That's the last time I saw him. After that, the Batman who Laughs or whatever he's called tied me to this chair and left me to those nut jobs, and that was three weeks ago!"

"Do you know anyone who might now anything?" Batman asked.

Bullock looked down at the thug who been previously beating the living daylights out of him. "I think he might now something, I've heard him whispering about The Grim Knight over the phone, between the moments of these wackos beating the stuffing out of me."

"Then I guess we'd better ask him," Batman said, picking the unconscious thug up by the collar.

* * *

"Wake up!" Bullock slapped the thug awake.

"Huh?!" The thug looked around. "What happened? Where's the boss?!"

"You should be worrying about yourself, creep," Bullock said.

The thug laughed. "I ain't scared of you, Bullock!"

Batman gripped his shoulder from behind, tightly. "Then how about me?"

"Wait...what?!" The thug was suddenly dragged to and hung over the edge. "Hey, what are you doing?!" He had just now realized they were on the roof of the GCPD. "Let me down, man!"

"If you insist." Batman loosened his grip.

"Wait, wait, wait!" The thug cried. "Stop! What do you want?!"

"The Grim Knight, Jim Gordon, what do you know?" Batman asked.

"That?!" The thug asked. "Okay...look, I don't know much, all I know is The Grim Knight has been holding night fights for the past three weeks!"

"Where?" Batman asked.

"The asylum!" The thug cried. "He's holding them at Arkahm Asylum. I've told you everything, now let me go!"

"Gladly." Batman turned the thug around and knocked him unconscious with a head butt.

"Nothing like the good ol' good cop/bad cop routine, eh?" Bullock asked. "Though, with the two of us, I assume it would actually be the bad cop/worse cop routine."

"Let's go find Gordon." Batman dropped the thug and began to walk towards the roof's exit.

"Nice to know you have a sense of humor," Bullock snarked as he followed Batman.


	3. Captured

Batman and Bullock sat silently in the bat mobile as they drove to Arkham Asylum. Bullock tried to ignore the awkwardness by staring out the window, though all he saw were the trees that lined the road outside of the madhouse.

"You may want to buckle up," Batman said, breaking the silence.

"What?" Bullock looked to him in confusion.

Batman pointed his chin in front of him, and Bullock saw there were two guards in front of the gates of Arkham. That's when he realized Batman not only wasn't stopping, but actually accelerated.

"What are you, nuts?!" Bullock asked, buckling himself in. "You're going to get us caught!"

"That's the idea," Batman said.

"Hey, what's that?" One of the guards pointed at the headlights flying towards them.

"It looks like...oh shit, it's the bats car!" The other guard shouted.

Before could act, both were sent flying from the tasers on the bat mobile, while the gates of Arkham were knocked off their hinges. This caused the alarm system to go off, and The Grim Knight, who had been using the Warden's off, to be informed.

"What's going on, out there?!" The Grim Knight demanded over his walkie-talkie

"It's the bat!" An inmate shouted. "He's got his freaking tank, and he's taking us out!"

"Guess it's time to use my ace in the hole," The Grim Knight said, setting down his walkie-talkie and going into the warden's file room. There, he came across a tied up Jeremiah Arkham and Commissioner Jim Gordon. "Come on, Commissoner." The Grim Knight pulled out a pistol and grabbed Gordon. "I'm going to need your help."

* * *

Batman was taking out dozens of men in seconds with his bat mobile's rubber bullet shooting turrets. With the car's near indestructible design, the thugs shooting had no hope of doing any lasting damage.

"Enough!" The Grim Knight's voice shouted above the chaos.

Everyone and everything went silent as The Grim Knight walked out from the intensive treatment building, gun to Gordon's head.

"It's the Commissoner!" Bullock exclaimed.

"You come out ice and quiet, and the good Commissoner won't get a bullet in his head, understand? The Grim Knight asked, smugly.

"What do we do?" Bullock asked.

"The plan." Batman opened the bat mobile, and jumped out.

"What plan?!" Bullock shouted.

"Okay, I surrender." Batman put his hands on his head, and got to his knees.

"What?!" Bullock shouted. "You're just going to-"

"Trust me, Bullock." Batman looked him dead in eye. "I know what I'm doing."

"You...you're lucky I'm desperate, freak." Bullock followed Batman's actions, and got on his knees, hands on his head. "I hope, for all our sakes, whatever you're planning works."

"Glad you convinced your partner here to give up," The Grim Knight mocked, handing Gordon over to two thugs, then he began pistol whipping Batman. "Did. You. Really. Think. It'd. Be. That. Easy?!"

Batman was knocked to the ground. When he looked up, he gave The Grim Knight the same defiant glare.

"You're like me," The Grim Knight said. "I take it you have the same motivation I have for why we dress up as a bat, am I right?"

Batman said nothing, causing The Grim Knight to scoff.

"It doesn't matter," The Grim Knight said. "I have you know, and know you get to be a part of my nightly fights!"

"I'm honored," Batman snarked.

"Oh, I'm sure you are," The Grim Knight snarked back, then he looked towards his men. "Beat them to unconsciousness, if they try to fight, kill the Commissoner."

The Grim Knight walked away as his men began to savagely beat Batman and Bullock down.

* * *

Bullock was tossed into a cell with his fellow GCPD officers.

"Bullock?" One of the officers said. "I knew it was a matter a time before you got yourself caught or killed. Guess you should count yourself lucky it was the former."

"For a given definition of lucky, anyway," another officer snarked. "Who knows how long any of us will last in this place?"

"Will you all just relax," Bullock said, fixing his suit. "The bat and I got a plan, we'll get you all out of here."

"Well, in that case, I can't wait for batman to get us out of here," the snarky officer said. "I highly doubt you're actually in the plan."

"Hey, I know what we're doing!" Bullock exclaimed, angrily.

"Really, what is it then?" The snarky officer asked.

"We...uh...wait, then Batman will give me the signal, and I'll spring us out of here!" Bullock placed his hands on his sides, a cocky grin on his face.

"What's the signal?" The snarky officer asked.

"You'll know it when I spring you out!" Bullock hissed.

"Right." The snarky officer rolled his eyes.

* * *

"I thought you'd like to spend some quality time with some of the guys you put away." The Grim Knight watched as Batman was forced into a cell filled with Blackgate Prisoners and Arkham Inmates. "Welcome to the inside, Batman. I hope you like the shoe being on the other foot. Have your fun, boys!"

With that, he walked out of the cell block, leaving Batman at the mercy of the inmates.

"Batsy, is that really you?!" The Joker asked from the cell across from Batman's.

"Joker," Batman greeted. "Can't say I'm happy to see you, but compared to the scum I'm dealing with you, you're definitely preferred."

The Joker gasped, placed a hand over his heart, and swooned. "Oh, how my heart melts!"

"Anyone else want to say hello?" Batman asked, sarcastically.

"Good evening, detective," Victor Fries said from his isolated cell at the end of the cell block.

"Fries?" Batman looked down the hallway.

"I handed myself over to The Grim Knight when he revealed he had my Nora," Fries said. "I've been forced to fight in kill for the last three weeks because of that animal."

"Well, it can't be fun for everyone!" The Joker snarked.

"It has been most fun for me!"

Batman turned to the cell beside him, and saw a man covered in the familiar tally marks. "Victor Zsasz."

"I have to say, this Grim Knight has quite the help!" Zsasz pointed to a trash mark on his skin. "I got this beauty only a few hours ago!"

"Oh, that reminds me!" The Joker slapped his head, playfully. "There is someone else who wants to see you, bats!"

"Who?" Batman narrowed his eyes at Joker.

"Hey, muscles, look who just got captured and locked up with us!" The Joker shook his cell mate, who was sleeping on the button bunk.

As the large man stirred, got out of bed, and stomped over to the cell, his tremendous size was made ever so apparent.

"Bane." Batman clenched his fist.

"Dark Knight?" Bane leaned forward on the bars of his cell. "It is good that you're here."

"Why is that?" Batman asked.

"I was humiliated when The Grim Knight took me captive," Bane explained. "I fought with all my might, that Barbatos even needed to use his mighty Amazon army to take me down, but Bane is not meant to be captured."

"Doesn't stop you from being captured every time I defeat you," Batman snarked.

Bane slammed his hands against the bars of his cell, shaking them. "That is why, when it is only you and I in the ring, you will die!"

"If I'm killed, then the last hole for humanity dies with me," Batman said.

"I have tried to burn this city to ashes when trying to take you down, what does a whole world cost me?" Bane asked, coldly.

"Your life," Batman said.

"Dying at the hands of a God is no dishonorable way to die," Bane said. "Plus, with your death, I will have my peace."

"Agree!" The Joker grinned, madly. "Sure, I wanted to be the one to kill everyone, but if someone else wants to do it, who am I to stop them?"

"As long as I get to continue making my marks, I don't care," Zsasz said.

"Victor, I know you can hear us," Batman said. "If you don't care about humanity, what about Nora?"

Victor was silent in thought.

"You all just need to shut your cans, I'm going to be the one to kill the bat!"

Batman turned to see a random thug in his jail cell. He cracked his knuckles and neck, and smirked at Batman.

"Get ready for the beating of a lifetime, bat!" The thug said, smugly.

"Buddy, you really want to try that?" The Joker asked.

"Yeah, just you watch, I'm going-" the thug didn't get to finish his boast before Batman grabbed his head, slammed it against the bars, then put him in an arm lock.

"Listen to me, scumbag," Batman whispered. "I'm going to break every finger in your hand for every hour you bother me, understand?"

"Hey, come on, I was just kidding!" The thug cried.

"Let me give you a demonstration." Batman snapped the thug's finger, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Let go!" The thug cried. "Please, let go!"

"Sure." Batman slammed the thug's head into the concrete floor, knocking him out.

The room was dead silent after Batman did that, until The Joker spoke up.

"That was hot," The Joker said, casually.

"Shut up!" Almost everyone in cell block shouted.


	4. The Fight

The first thing Bruce saw was a flash, then two loud bangs, and finally, his parents falling to the cold, concrete ground of the alleyway. He was eight, stunned, and completely unaware of what lead up to this traumatizing situation.

"Damn it, where did she drop those pearls?!" Joe Chill looked around, but panicked when he heard the sirens. "Damn!" Without thinking, he dropped the gun, and began to dig through the garbage he knew he saw the pearls fall in. "Where are they?! Where?!"

Bruce looked at the gun, then at the unmoving bodies of his parents. Face going emotionless, he slowly picked up the gun.

"You," Bruce said, coldly.

"Just get the fuck out of here, kid!" Joe Chill hissed. "I don't hurt kids, but God help you I'll-"

Bruce aimed the gun at Chill, cutting him off. "You killed my parents!"

"Whoa...hey, kid, look..." Chill shrunk back in fear. "Look, I'm sorry, I was just trying to make some money!"

"Shut up!" Bruce shouted with tears in his eyes. "Shut up...and die."

"Kid, wait!" Child shouted, but it was too late.

Bruce out two in his chest, then one in his head. As the cops parked just outside the alleyway, Bruce looked at the gun, and under all sadness and anger, he felt something else. Power.

* * *

"That was the day I became...this." The Grim Knight motioned towards himself. "At first, I wanted to do good, I really did. Then, crime in Gotham came to a halt, I've killed so many, that the hydra never head a chance to regrow its stump. With no criminals to take my rage out on, I moved on to-"

"Everyone else," Batman finished.

Batman was sitting in a chair in front of The Grim Knight's desk. They were both in the warden's office. Just outside, through the window behind The Grim Knight, Batman could see the lights and hear the cheers as the criminals were, no doubt, watching some poor civilian, guard, or cop get torn to pieces.

"Of course you know, because I'm your nightmare, Bruce," The Grim Knight boasted. "I'm the fear that keeps even the great Batman awake at night. I'm the man you're scared of becoming."

"Don't hold your breath," Batman spat, causing The Grim Knight to be taken aback. "You're so low you're not even in my nightmares. Because, even in my nightmares, I never killed innocent people, I ever nuked my world, killing every innocent man, woman, and child. You think you're special enough to be my nightmares?" He scoffed. "Please, your just scum, scum that shares my name and suit. Nothing more, nothing less."

The Grim Knight gritted his teeth in rage, and flipped the desk separating the two of them. He grabbed Batman by his collar, and forced his head against the glass.

"Look outside, Bat!" The Grim Knight spat. "Once Bane's through ripping apart that worthless idiot, then you, him, Freeze, Joker, and Zsasz will be having an all out brawl for my beautiful crowd!"

"Can't wait," Batman snarked.

"No, you will die, now!" Bane raised the man above his head, the brought him down, onto his knee, breaking his back.

Up in the office, Batman flinched at the bad memories seeing that brought up.

Bane tossed Ayer's body to the floor, then he looked up to the warden's office, and pointed the Batman. "You're next!"

"That you are, Bruce." The Grim Knight sprayed Batman with knock out gas. "That. You. Are."

* * *

Batman awoke to the screams of the crowd, getting up to see he was now in the center of the arena.

"Alright gentlemen, it's time for the brawl I promised you!" The Grim Knight exclaimed over the intercom.

The electric fence that surrounded Batman turned off, allowing Bane, Mr. Freeze, The Joker, and Zsasz to all enter the arena.

"I has to keep them out," The Grim Knight said. "You know, to keep any of them from killing you while you were unconscious."

"I would never do something so dishonorable," Bane said.

"I'm not sure I would do that, even for Nora," Freeze said.

"I like to see the fear in their eyes," Zsasz said.

"Same here!" The Joker raised his hand. "I would especially want Batman to look me in the eyes as I stick my-"

"Joker!" Freeze interrupted.

"I was going to say knife!" The Joker crossed his arms and huffed, annoyed. "Stick my knife deep inside him as I kiss him passionately!"

"Can we just fight?!" Bane activated his venom, allowing his muscles to grew even bigger then they already were. "I want to kill the bat before the world ends!"

"Hey, he's mine!" The Joker pulled out two blades.

"No, he must be immortalized into my skin!" Zsasz hissed, pulled a knife of his own.

"I don't want to kill any of you, even the scum," Freeze said, sadly. "For Nora, however, I'd set the world aflame."

"Ugh, and you have the gull to get annoyed with me," The Joker said, rolling his eyes.

"Let the fight begin in 3...2...1!" The Grim Knight blared the buzzer.

"Die Batman!" Bane charged Batman, but he jumped into the air, and landed on Bane's back, kicking him in the head as he jumped off his back.

Freeze shot at Batman while he was in the air, but The Joker tapped in his shoulder. When he looked down, The Joker hit him in the face with a rubber chicken, but it almost broke the glass of his helmet.

"No!" Freeze knocked the chicken from The Joker's hand, revealing there was a brick inside it.

"Hey, just let me break that glass so I can slit your throat!" The Joker began jabbing his knife into the cracked glass, trying to shatter.

"I'll be doing Nora a favor by ensuring you won't be alive to torment her!" Freeze pushed The Joker off him, and aimed his freeze gun at him. "While frozen solid, your lung will cease to breath, and you will suffocate."

"Oh, kinky!" The Joker smirked. "What's the safe word?"

"Die."

"What kind of safe word is-" The Joker was tackled out of the way of the blast by Batman.

"You okay?" Batman asked as he looked down at The Joker, who he was laying on top of.

"Why don't you answer that for yourself?" The Joker gave him bed room eyes.

Before Batman could get off of The Joker, Zsasz jumped onto his back, and began to cut at his cowl.

"I'll make you a mark, Batman!" Zsasz laughed, hysterically. "I will make you a part of me, just like the hundreds of others before you!"

"Jeez, and they I'm obsessive." The Joker sat up.

"No, the bat is mine!" Bane grabbed Zsasz from Batman.

Batman watched as Bane threw Zsasz into the electric fence. "No!" He went to try and stop him, but Joker tackled him.

"Wait, let's see how this plays out!" The Joker held Batman down.

"You...you start back!" Zsasz went to stab Bane, but he just grabbed Zsasz hand, and broke it, causing him to drop his knife.

"You sick, animal!" Bane grabbed Zsasz by the throat.

"No...please!" Zsasz begged.

"You will die like an animal!" Bane squeezed, and snapped Zsasz neck with little effort.

"No!" Batman cried.

"Nice!" The Joker applauded.

"Clap while you can, clown." Bane tossed Zsasz's lifeless body to the floor. "You're next!"

"Uh oh!" The Joker hopped off of Batman, dodging Bane's attempt to grab him.

"Hold still!" Bane reached for The Joker, but Freeze shot him with him with his freeze gun. Bane screamed in pain as he was being frozen solid.

"Now, it is your turn, Joker," Freeze said, aiming his freeze gun at The Joker.

"Is it now?" The Joker scratched his chin.

"Yes!" Freeze was about to fire, but Batman jumped in front of Freeze, and threw a pellet into the barrel of Freeze's gun clogging it with muck. "No!"

"Well, while he's distracted." The Joker swiped at Batman with his blades.

"Joker, we shouldn't be fighting, we should be working together!" Batman dodged another swip.

"Sorry, but I'm still going to kill ya!" The Joker grinned. "Whether you can save the world or not, doesn't matter, because you're not getting out of this arena!"

"But Joker, that Bat God, Barbatos, he..." Batman tried to reason, but The Joker tackled him.

"Sorry Bats, but you can't reason with me!" The Joker pushed his blade closer and closer to Batman's heart. "There is nothing you can say that could possibly-"

"They killed your wife!" Batman shouted.

For the first time in their entire relationship, The Joker frowned, and froze.

"What did you just say?" The Joker asked, softly.

"You're pregnant wife...her name was Jeannie," Batman said. "You're name, is J-"

"No!" The Joker covered his ears, tears in his eyes. "I don't want to hear it!"

"Jack Napier!" Batman grabbed The Joker's wrist, keeping him from covering his ears.

"No, that's not true!" The Joker screamed. "It's not...it's not..."

"While I was recovering, I looked into it," Batman explained. "I looked up pregnant women who had died in Gotham's history, and checked if they're married to a man who fit my profile of you. Someone downtrodden, who life just seemed to kick around, and I found a man who had just quit his well paying job to go into a career of comedy, only to fail."

"Shut your fucking mouth!" The Joker snatched his hands away, and backed up.

"Jack, wait!" Batman held out his hands.

"Don't cal me-" The Joker backed up right into the electric fence, electrocuting himself into unconsciousness.

"That was impressive, Batman." Freeze removed the muck from his gun. "Now, unfortunately, you must come to end."

"So what, Victor?" Batman stood up straight, showing no fear. "So you can continue to kill for this sociopath? So you can never see Nora again, and die killing for her?"

"Wait...no!" Freeze wavered, lowering his gun.

"Or, you can help me save her, Gordon, and help me save the world," Batman said.

"I...I...you're right, Batman," Freeze said, lowering his gun.

"What do you think you're doing, Freeze?" The Grim Knight shouted. "You kill that son of a bitch right now, or your bitch will-"

"Shut up!" Freeze whirled around, and shot a beam of Ice toward the Warden's office.

The Grim Knight only had enough time to widen his eyes in shock before the freeze blast covered the whole room in ice, causing him to slip. He looked up, and saw the shadow of a cape flying towards the ice. Batman shattered through the ice, and grabbed him by the throat.

"Where is she?!" Batman shouted.

"In the basement!" The Grim Knight answered without thinking. "Damn!"

Batman picked him up, and threw him out off the office, down to the ground below. Just as he did, Bane broke out of the ice, saving himself.

"Let's continue!" Bane looked around, and saw that Freeze had frozen and shattered the electric fence, and The Joker was still unconscious. "Oh."

"How many did you kill?!" Batman demanded as he savagely beat The Grim Knight. "How many?!"

The Grim Knight laughed. "Why don't you check the basement?"

"Nora!" Freeze ran towards the basement.

"Is she dead?" Batman asked, calmly.

The Grim Knight just grinned.

"Is she dead?!" Batman grabbed his throat.

"Do it!" The Grim Knight smiled. "All it takes one, even if they deserve it! Soon, you'll be just like me!"

"No, I'll never ever be like you!" Batman lessened his grip.

"Heh, it doesn't matter," The Grim Knight said.

"It should," Batman said.

The Grim Knight kept his smug grin. "Why is that?"

"I never said anything about them." Batman stepped aside, allowing The Grim Knight to see the waves of criminals he had forced to fight for him.

"Wait..." The Grim Knight's smug grin finally dropped. "You wouldn't..."

"Goodbye." Batman walked away from The Grim Knight.

"No, wait...don't leave me!" The Grim Knight cried as the thugs dogpiled onto him.

* * *

Batman found Freeze with Nora, in room of over a hundred dead men. She was alive, and still frozen. Freeze was placing a gentle hand on her chamber, head resting against it, eyes closed.

"She's okay, Batman," Freeze assured. "She's okay."

"It's good to know someone survived..." Batman knelt down next to one of the bodies. "How many?"

"Dozens of men died in a single night, Batman," Freeze said, solemnly. "I don't know...even the amount I killed...I just...I just don't know..."

"Do you know where the cops are?" Batman asked.

Freeze pointed to a door marked cell block 2. Batman ran inside and found Bullock and all of the other GCPD officers.

"Hey Bullock, where is that signal?" The snarky officer asked. "Looks to me like Batman is just going to let us out!"

"Ah shut up!" Bullock shouted in anger.

* * *

Freeze arrived back at the arena to see The Grim Knight being beaten.

"Stop! Stop!" The Grim Knight begged. "I can give you information! Tell you things! The Batman's darkest secrets!"

"You won't be telling anyone." Freeze aimed his gun at The Grim Knight.

"Wait, listen, please!" The Grim Knight begged. "I may be from another universe, but I'm still him! I can tell you who he is!"

Suddenly, Freeze's gun was ripped from his hand, and the thief began to freeze The Grim Knight was frozen, legs first.

"No! Wait!" The Grim Knight screamed in agony. "I know who he is! He's B-" he was frozen just as he was about to reveal Batman's identity.

The crowd turned to Freeze, and he stood in shock as The Joker handed him back his gun.

"Nobody. Gets. To know him," The Joker said, voice disturbingly cold and detached.

"Only Bane will know!" Bane shattered The Grim Knight's body, ensuring no one could look under his mask.

"Joker?" Freeze looked at The Clown Prince of Crime, genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine..." The Joker walked away from the group.

"Where are you going?" Bane asked.

"Back to my cell to wait out the storm," The Joker said. "Batman is going to win, he's going to save us all...and I see no point in even trying to stop him." With those final words, The Joker walked out of the room, leaving only a stunned group of criminals in the arena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also hate David Ayer.

**Author's Note:**

> I HATE Zack Syner 😄


End file.
